Biography
Perry Botkin Jr. was an American composer, arranger and musician. Born in New York City on 16 April 1933, he was the son of musician Perry Botkin Sr. He attended Indiana University and the film scoring programme at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
Botkin composed scores for feature films including Tarzan the Ape Man (1981), Goin’ South (1978) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). His television credits include music for Mork & Mindy (1978–1982) and other series such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. With Barry De Vorzon he wrote the theme for the soap opera The Young and the Restless, later known as Nadia’s Theme after its use during the 1976 Summer Olympics; the arrangement won a Grammy Award. He shared an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for Bless the Beasts & Children (1971).
Botkin died in Burbank, California, on 18 January 2021.
